Both Parties Close Ranks Behind the President Most major Democratic presidential candidates also said they would abandon their criticism of Mr. Bush's diplomatic efforts and support him now that it appeared the nation was about to go to war. One Democrat, former Gov. Howard Dean of Vermont, broke from the pack.

"This is not Iraq, where doubters and dissenters are punished or silenced — this is the United States of America," Dr. Dean said in a statement issued shortly after Mr. Bush spoke. "We need to support our young people as they are sent to war by the president, and I have no doubt that American military power will prevail. But to ensure that our postwar policies are constructive and humane, based on enduring principles of peace and justice, concerned Americans should continue to speak out."